Hello

[Weekender]

I was diagnosed with Type 2 two weeks ago. I started the 800 calorie diet 6 days ago. I'm feeling more energetic. I am starting to worry that I may not last the 8 weeks. I used to binge drink beer a few nights a week, and this was something I enjoyed. I'm finding the diet pretty easy. Bowel movements are irregular, so I started taking psyllium husk capsules today.
I lost 5kg in 9 days but the rate of loss has decreased dramatically.

 

[Drummer]

You might simply not have anything to get rid off, hence the irregularity.

 

[Leadinglights]

I was diagnosed with Type 2 two weeks ago. I started the 800 calorie diet 6 days ago. I'm feeling more energetic. I am starting to worry that I may not last the 8 weeks. I used to binge drink beer a few nights a week, and this was something I enjoyed. I'm finding the diet pretty easy. Bowel movements are irregular, so I started taking psyllium husk capsules today.
I lost 5kg in 9 days but the rate of loss has decreased dramatically.

The first few days or weeks on any diet where you are reducing the amount of carbohydrate usually results in rapid weight loss due to loss of fluid but then will slow up as you body gets used to the new regime.

 

[cameron]

Welcome to the forum @Weekender.

Well done on starting a new diet so soon after diagnosis, a new routine is always difficult! Did your doctor/nurse give you a weight-loss target? It's great you're already seeing some progress.

Once you start introducing more calories to your diet, definitely check out the Food/carb queries + recipes section of the forum to get some food ideas. You can also find plenty of diabetes-friendly recipes on the Diabetes UK website. 🙂

 

[Weekender]

You might simply not have anything to get rid off, hence the irregularity.

Thanks Drummer, I'm sure that's it. I've been eating salad or veg once a day, but this is evidently not enough. I'll chomp through some celery through the day :-(

 

[Ditto]

Hello and welcome to the forum @Weekender 🙂

They do capsules? What the frilly heck am I messing about with this nasty powder for then? Good grief.

 

[Weekender]

The first few days or weeks on any diet where you are reducing the amount of carbohydrate usually results in rapid weight loss due to loss of fluid but then will slow up as you body gets used to the new regime.

Hi Leadinglights, I'm a bit anxious about motivation once things plateau. As with when I gave up smoking, (for vaping) the first few weeks are bathed in a glow of new success, but after a while that wears off. I find a sense of disappointment kicks in as the change is not as transformative as I hoped. This is why I've joined this site - I'm finding other peoples' stories very motivating. 50lbs your profile states - well done

 

[Cherrelle DUK]

Hi Weekender,

Welcome to the forum. It's great to hear that you've been able to take action and have seen results already.

Drinking a good amount of water helps with bowls too so maybe give that an increase.

We're here if you have any specific questions so feel free to ask

 

[Weekender]

Welcome to the forum @Weekender.

Well done on starting a new diet so soon after diagnosis, a new routine is always difficult! Did your doctor/nurse give you a weight-loss target? It's great you're already seeing some progress.

Once you start introducing more calories to your diet, definitely check out the Food/carb queries + recipes section of the forum to get some food ideas. You can also find plenty of diabetes-friendly recipes on the Diabetes UK website. 🙂

Thanks Cameron. I've been 'pre-diabetic' for a few years, and was following the Roy Taylor research with interest, so once my GP said the blood test was 'diabetic' I was spurred into action.

I live in Swansea and the Welsh health system hear isn't engaged with the vlcd programme that you have elsewhere. In fact I'm very disappointed with the system - my second 'confirmation' blood test was lost by the blood clinic (a new one using a site set up for Covid jabs).

My GP put me in touch with the practice Diabetes nurse, and her first available appointment is not until the 19th July - by which time I will have finished the 8 weeks 800 calorie phase. Hence my joining these forums for advice 🙂 .

I'm using the Roy Taylor / DiRECT 15kg target. I'm 6'1" and was 13st (82.5 kg) and a 36" waist most of my adult life, but then I smoked 40 fags a day from age 16 to 54. I've been 16st (101 kg) for a few years years now.

During Covid I was drinking 30-40 cans of Carling a week (18 cans for £11 - too cheap really) , and we bought a bread machine. In fact I'm missing the beer much more than food.

I had got into a routine of jogging for the first time last year (15km) a week, but I had an operation that prevented this in October 2020, and my lower back went about February. On reflection 15kg = a builder's bucket full of water. I'm hoping not carrying this around will help my back and allow me to get back to jogging.

I'm hopeful that if I change my very fond relationship with beer and bread after the 12 weeks + exercise I might be able to sustain 85kg

 

[Weekender]

Hello and welcome to the forum @Weekender 🙂

They do capsules? What the frilly heck am I messing about with this nasty powder for then? Good grief.

Hi Birdy - I bought some from Amazon - 15.99 for 180 700mg capsules - it was an impulse buy, I'm sure we can find them cheaper. This morning was 'too loose' so I'm not convinced - I'm still learning about life on a liquid diet

 

[Weekender]

Hi Weekender,

Welcome to the forum. It's great to hear that you've been able to take action and have seen results already.

Drinking a good amount of water helps with bowls too so maybe give that an increase.

We're here if you have any specific questions so feel free to ask

Hi Cherrelle - great to be here. I think it will be very helpful.
A question, do you think it would be helpful for me to post my experiences on the 800 calorie liquid diet? If so where should I / how should I post a log?

 

[Cherrelle DUK]

Hi Weekender,

You're welcome to post in the food section of the forum which I've linked to below. Please try and focus on your experience though and not advice for others.

Food/carb queries + recipes

Coming to terms with diabetes and food can be very difficult - this forum is for all your food and carbohydrate queries and a place to post your favourite recipes!

forum.diabetes.org.uk

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @Weekender

We have had a few members who have found the Newcastle diet approach very effective for them including @ColinUK and @travellor

Hopefully you will continue to see success with it. 🙂

 

[Weekender]

Thanks for the welcome EDUAD - I've read through Colin's posts before I joined the site. It helped me commit to the Newcastle diet 10 days ago. (I must learn how to insert a link to a member? .@ColinUK). I will look up travellor. The life stories are a real motivation

 

[ColinUK]

Thanks for the welcome EDUAD - I've read through Colin's posts before I joined the site. It helped me commit to the Newcastle diet 10 days ago. (I must learn how to insert a link to a member? .@ColinUK). I will look up travellor. The life stories are a real motivation

It’s far from easy. Yes the weight fell off but about half has returned. However BP and BG are ok.
I’ve just started another block on the shakes and will then be significantly stricter about carb intake and will monitor carb creep like a hawk.

 

[Weekender]

Thanks for the reply Colin. I'm all enthused atm - but it's only been 11 days. I'm sure I'll get fed up and crack from time to time during the the 12 weeks and definitely in the longer term. If your BP and BG are okay I guess that's the really important thing. I read in an endocrine society paper on obesity (I'll try and find the link) that all dieters regain weight as the hormone ghrelin acts to reset the body back to where it was. So don't feel that you've failed - you've exerted control which is more than many do

 

[ColinUK]

Thanks for the reply Colin. I'm all enthused atm - but it's only been 11 days. I'm sure I'll get fed up and crack from time to time during the the 12 weeks and definitely in the longer term. If your BP and BG are okay I guess that's the really important thing. I read in an endocrine society paper on obesity (I'll try and find the link) that all dieters regain weight as the hormone ghrelin acts to reset the body back to where it was. So don't feel that you've failed - you've exerted control which is more than many do

Thank you.
It does feel like a failure on some level. Although intellectually I realise that it’s changed me.
Whereas before of have been perfectly content at this weight, now I’m not and I know I’ll have to take steps to drop pounds and to keep them off.

 

[Deleted member 21371]

Through a combination of a low fat diet after being diagnosed, then the Newcastle diet to mop up the end bits, I lost 5 stone.
I reversed my diabetes, so I think it was a good decision.
I will admit lockdown, lack of exercise, boredom, I put weight back on.
But, I know I did it before, so I just did 6 weeks of a food based diet, around 1000 calories a day, and I lost the excess again.
The difference to me was, the Newcastle diet severed my link to food.
Other diets just cut down, or change the diet.
But you still eat.
After not eating, for me, it was easier to pick the food I could have,
I eat a healthy Mediterranean style diet.
I watch the calories, and the mirror.
If I start to gain weight, I simply eat less.

 

[Weekender]

Through a combination of a low fat diet after being diagnosed, then the Newcastle diet to mop up the end bits, I lost 5 stone.
I reversed my diabetes, so I think it was a good decision.
I will admit lockdown, lack of exercise, boredom, I put weight back on.
But, I know I did it before, so I just did 6 weeks of a food based diet, around 1000 calories a day, and I lost the excess again.
The difference to me was, the Newcastle diet severed my link to food.
Other diets just cut down, or change the diet.
But you still eat.
After not eating, for me, it was easier to pick the food I could have,
I eat a healthy Mediterranean style diet.
I watch the calories, and the mirror.
If I start to gain weight, I simply eat less.

Hi Travellor,
I'm encouraged by your post, thank you.
Your right about 'severing the links'. It's only day 12 for me, but the liquid Meal Replacement lifestyle has disconnected me from my old behaviours. It's like being in a retreat. I'm reflecting on my (hopefully) old habits: 'A pizza, 8 pints then a sandwich before bed - WTF was I doing!' Continually snacking in front of the TV on non-beer days is another thing.

It's interesting that both you and Colin say you put your diabetes in remission, but you are measuring yourselves against your weight targets rather than, say, blood sugar or pressure. Is this because any weight gain is slippery slope back to diabetes, or more of a lifestyle choice? I ask because it I assume staying at your best weight is harder than keeping diabetes in remission. . . . but then again, the literature is quite clear a man should aim for 7" waist and the weight you were in your 20's to avoid problems.
So I'm on my way from 16st to 12.5st .. for life? For life 🙂

Above all, the things that is most marked is that I feel more energetic, I could barely get off the settee before I started this, and now I'm pottering about all the time.

 

[Deleted member 21371]

Hi Travellor,
I'm encouraged by your post, thank you.
Your right about 'severing the links'. It's only day 12 for me, but the liquid Meal Replacement lifestyle has disconnected me from my old behaviours. It's like being in a retreat. I'm reflecting on my (hopefully) old habits: 'A pizza, 8 pints then a sandwich before bed - WTF was I doing!' Continually snacking in front of the TV on non-beer days is another thing.

It's interesting that both you and Colin say you put your diabetes in remission, but you are measuring yourselves against your weight targets rather than, say, blood sugar or pressure. Is this because any weight gain is slippery slope back to diabetes, or more of a lifestyle choice? I ask because it I assume staying at your best weight is harder than keeping diabetes in remission. . . . but then again, the literature is quite clear a man should aim for 7" waist and the weight you were in your 20's to avoid problems.
So I'm on my way from 16st to 12.5st .. for life? For life 🙂

Above all, the things that is most marked is that I feel more energetic, I could barely get off the settee before I started this, and now I'm pottering about all the time.

I lost around five stone.
I did put a few pounds back on, as I looked ill that skinny. That was by choice though.
I've never had a problem with blood pressure, I'm always 120/80.
BG, hba1c is normal now.
I have an annual checkup, eye test, all the usual things.
Never had any diabetic complications.
I eat a normal diet, it includes bread, rice, pasta, but I lost my taste for stodgy foods, and sweet foods.
I did have an ultrasound scan recently. My liver, and spleen are fat free, they couldn't see my pancreas as my colon was in the way, but I guess that's clear too.